Adrian’s question cut through the chaos like a blade.“Who the hell must have done this?”No one answered him at first. Around the Grand Aurelius Summit Hall, phones kept ringing, aides kept rushing between tables, and powerful men who had laughed minutes ago now spoke in frightened tones. The vote screen still showed their victory, but nobody cared about the numbers anymore.The giant digital board now looked almost mocking above the hall. Minutes ago, it had represented power and certainty. Now it only reminded everyone how quickly confidence could collapse when money stopped moving.A silver-tier investor shouted, “My transfer worth millions is still frozen!”Another guest yelled toward the stage, “Who is responsible for this security breach?”A reporter raised a camera, but Aurelion snapped at him. “Put that down unless you want your network sued before midnight.”The chairman hurried back to the microphone. His forehead shone with sweat under the bright lights. “Ladies and gentl

Adrian Cole’s patience was already cracked before Ethan called his name.He stood beside his luxury vehicle with the phone still in his hand, Yvonne’s cold words were fresh in his mind. Brookhaven was bleeding. His investors were nervous. His wife cared more about the money than the pressure crushing him. And now, the same poor-looking man from the summit had followed him outside.The cold afternoon wind moved through the private driveway, carrying distant sounds of angry phone calls from the summit entrance. Even outside the building, panic had not stopped. Security personnel moved faster now, speaking into radios while chauffeurs exchanged worried looks beside expensive vehicles.“Now what do you want?” Adrian asked, visibly annoyed.Ethan stood a few steps away, holding his old leather bag. The afternoon light touched his rough moustache and afro wig, making the disguise look even more ridiculous beside Adrian’s polished car and armed bodyguards.Ethan looked at him calmly. “Funny

Adrian Cole stared at Ethan as if the poor-looking man had suddenly become a problem he could not name.“Who the hell are you?” he asked.Ethan did not answer at once. He let the question hang between them, heavy and uncomfortable. The private driveway had grown quieter, but the tension around Adrian’s car had not faded. His bodyguards no longer looked amused. Their hands stayed close to their jackets, but neither of them moved.Ethan adjusted the handle of his old leather bag. “Someone you should have listened to earlier.”Adrian’s eyes swept over Ethan again, slower this time. The cheap jacket. The worn shoes. The ridiculous wig. None of it matched the pressure suddenly building in his chest.Men like Ethan were supposed to beg. They were supposed to flinch when powerful people raised their voices.But this man stood there like someone already holding the outcome of the conversation.Adrian’s face hardened. “Do not play games with me.”“I am not playing.”“You made a phone call,” A

Adrian’s phone kept vibrating, but he did not answer it.The screen showed his aide in Brookhaven again. That name Brookhaven now felt like a warning instead of an achievement. Adrian stared at it for a second, then looked back at Ethan. The contrast between them felt almost insulting. Adrian stood beside a luxury vehicle worth more than most homes in Brookhaven, while Ethan looked like someone security should have removed from the summit hours ago. Yet somehow, Adrian was the one losing control.Ethan, disguised as a poor-looking man stood with his old leather bag in hand, calm enough to make the whole situation feel worse.“Sixty percent is too much,” Adrian said. “I will be able to do thirty percent.”Ethan did not blink. “No.”“Thirty-five, with future expansion rights.”“No.”“Forty then,” Adrian said, forcing control into his voice. “Forty percent, but management remains fully under me.”Ethan’s answer came immediately. “No.”Adrian’s face tightened. “You are not negotiating.”A

Dale’s voice echoed across the room loudly enough for nearby servants to disappear from the hallway immediately.Nobody inside the mansion wanted to remain close whenever Dale entered this kind of mood. His temper had destroyed careers before. A former logistics director once disappeared entirely after losing an important shipment contract.Now Ethan Xavier had become the center of that same dangerous rage.And unlike others, Ethan Xavier was powerful enough to answer it.Harrington’s tone sharpened slightly. “He is Ethan Xavier.”“I know his name.”“No,” Harrington replied. “You know the sound of his name. You do not understand the danger behind it.”Dale laughed bitterly. “Danger? I have dealt with ministers, smugglers, military buyers, port lords, and men who kill over shipment rights. Do not lecture me about danger.”“You have been away too long,” Harrington said. “Most of your operations run through that multimillion-dollar cruise ship of yours. You manage oil routes from the sea